Dampers to curb moan noise in a cabin of a motor vehicle are sometimes provided between a differential gear box and a drive shaft of the vehicle. However, these dampers are generally heavy, uniform axisymmetric dampers that merely provide resonance suppression related to torsion experienced by the associated components. This type of damper may be expensive and degrade fuel economy, as it adds considerable weight to the vehicle.
The inventors have recognized the issues with the above approach to reduce moan noise and offer a system to at least partly address them. In one embodiment, a non-uniform axisymmetric damper device comprises a first portion extending radially outward from an outer surface of a flange protrusion, spaced from and concentric with the flange protrusion; and a second portion with a uniform inner surface coupled to an outer surface of the first portion and a non-uniform outer surface extending radially outward from the first portion. Further, the outer surface of the second portion includes a first and second thick section of equal thickness that are spaced from one another in a radial direction by a first and second thin section of lesser thickness than the thick sections.
In this way, the non-uniform construction of the damper of the present disclosure results in a lower weight damper than uniform axisymmetric damper devices, as the thinner sections are formed with less material than the thicker sections. Further, the thicker or thinner sections may be composed of a lighter material than their thinner or thicker counterparts, allowing for further weight-saving. This decrease in material usage and resulting decrease in damper weight allows for lower production costs and enhanced fuel economy. In addition, the present disclosure may offer several advantages. For example, adjusting the non-uniform characteristics of the damper allows it to be tuned to provide resonance performance in six degrees of freedom, including torsion, bending, and translations.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.